Fundraisers and Events

Thinking of getting involved with MESA? Learn about some of our fundraisers and events. If you have an idea for a new fundraiser or event or if you'd like to get involved with one below, please contact us.

Fundraisers

• Book Fairs – In the fall and spring, book fairs are held at the Robinson and Jordan/Jackson schools. During the fall, the book fairs are open after school hours and during parent-teacher conferences for parents/guardians to visit and purchase books. During the spring, the book fairs are open after school, during conferences, and additionally, during school hours for students to visit with their classes. As a volunteer on the book fair committee, you would help plan and coordinate the book fairs. In addition, you would coordinate with the principals and librarians to schedule the classrooms visits (in the spring). You would be responsible for arranging parent volunteers to help operate the book fairs (setting up, breaking down, operating the registers) and collecting and organizing payments and submitting them to the MESA treasurer.

• Parent Night Out/Spring Fling – This is an adults-only social event put on by MESA in the spring. Monetary and item donations are collected from various entities to create auction, silent auction, raffle baskets and more! Volunteers assist with contacting local companies and others through websites to collect monetary gifts, sponsorships, and items for the auctions and baskets. Volunteers are also needed to help put together the raffle baskets, set up, and clean up.

• Box Tops for Education – Families can earn cash for our schools with products they already buy. Simply scan your store receipt with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to our schools' earnings online.

• Square One Art – Students create art in their art classes, and Square One Art turns these pieces into items you can order, such as mugs, ornaments, or keychains. As a volunteer for Square One Art, you will be responsible for coordinating with the art teachers to be sure they have class time scheduled to create the artwork. You will collect the artwork and submit the package to Square One for the products to be made. For orders not placed online, you will be responsible for collecting and submitting the payments to the MESA treasurer for deposit.

• Unfundraiser – For our fall fundraiser this year, we are asking for direct donations. There is nothing for your students to sell, nothing for parents to buy, and 100% of your donation goes directly to the programs MESA runs for your students!

• Takeout Tuesday – Each month, MESA teams up with a local restaurant for a Takeout Tuesday fundraiser. MESA receives a percentage of the proceeds when you eat in or dine out! Watch our newsletter and our Facebook page for announcements.

• Photography – Local photographers offer to donate portions of their proceeds of family photo sessions back to MESA.

• Spiritwear – Working with local businesses and vendors, MESA holds at least one Spiritwear fundraiser a year. Purchase Mansfield t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other gear to support our schools and show your school spirit!

Events

• Maplewood – A Family Fun Day for families to socialize and have fun with all the activities Maplewood has to offer! We host this event in September as a welcome back to school, and it is a great success.

• Bookworms – Bookworms is a program offered to kindergarten through 4th grade students. During school hours, students are invited to visit the cafeteria where they choose one FREE book to keep and bring home. We purchase a large variety of books to cover various topics and reading levels. As a Bookworms volunteer, you will assist in purchasing, setting up the books, distributing the books to the children as they attend the program, and cleaning up.

• One Book/One Grade – This program is currently only offered to our 5th grade students. The teachers and administrators assist in picking one book for all 5th grade students to read. By having all students read the same book, they’re able to discuss, collaborate, and participate in group activities while reading and learning about the book.

• Yearbook – The yearbooks are a compilation of the students' class and individual photos and all the activities that occur throughout the year. Many volunteers are needed to make the yearbook successful each year! As a member of the yearbook committee, you will assist in planning and creating the Robinson and Jordan/Jackson yearbooks. The yearbook is usually printed by our photo company. At the start of the year, we request that one parent from each classroom offer to be the classroom yearbook photographer. You are responsible for coordinating with the teachers to be present and take pictures of the various classroom events throughout the year. As a committee member, you will interact with the vendor to meet scheduled deadlines, guide parent volunteer photographers, oversee ordering, and handle the distribution of yearbooks.

• Field Day – Field days are held in June at the Robinson and Jordan/Jackson. At Jordan/Jackson, all classes attend on one day. At the Robinson, the classes attend on two different days based on their grade. Many volunteers are needed for field day to make the event run smoothly. Volunteers are needed for planning the event and developing and enhancing field games and activities, day of setup, operating the stations, being runners for various items that may be needed (water, first aid, etc.), and breaking down the activities at the end of the day. It is a super fun day for the kids (and parent volunteers!) but can NOT run smoothly without the help of many!

• Kindergarten Garden Wonders – Garden Wonders is an event for kindergarteners and their parent/guardian. It is a weeknight evening where the kindergarteners participate in several hands-on stations to learn more about the life cycle of plants (which coordinates with their school curriculum). As a volunteer, you will assist in planning and coordinating this interactive program. You will coordinate with the school to reserve the space, help plan the activities, ensure all the materials are purchased and available for the night of the event, and coordinate volunteer efforts for operating the stations.

• Reading Caterpillar at Robinson – The Reading Caterpillar at Robinson is designed to encourage students to read, as their logged reading minutes “grow the caterpillar.” A decorative caterpillar winds its way through the school on the walls of the hallway (paper circles that have been laminated and used year to year). At the end of each week (the program runs for 2 weeks), all of the minutes read throughout the school are tallied and the caterpillar body grows and grows! The classroom with the most reading minutes (in each grade) will win a prize. As a volunteer, you will coordinate with the school to determine the program dates, publicize the program, help develop incentives, calculate the reading minutes as they are turned in, and assist in “growing the caterpillar” (taping the circles to the walls). You will also provide assistance in taking the caterpillar off the walls at the end of the program and storing the materials for the following year.

• Teacher Appreciation Dinner – Conference dinners for the teachers are held at Robinson and Jordan/Jackson during fall and spring conferences. This program is held to show appreciation to the teachers for all the hard work they do. The dinners are scheduled for the same night that the teachers hold their evening conferences. MESA typically has this event catered and asks for donations of paper goods and other supplies. As a volunteer, you will assist in establishing the catering menu, ordering the food, ensuring it is ready and at the event, setting up for the dinner, assisting with serving and other needs during the dinner, and cleaning up.

• Food Drive –You will work with the principals and staff to determine an appropriate date for the event. You will also assist with publicizing for the event, collecting and organizing the food, and delivering it to the Food Pantry. Extent and involvement varies from year to year depending on the needs that arise in the community.

• Clothing Drive – You will work with the principals and staff to determine an appropriate date for the event. You will also assist with publicizing for the event, collecting and organizing clothing, and delivering it to the appropriate location. Extent and involvement varies from year to year depending on the needs that arise in the community.

• Science Nights – In the past, MESA has brought in an outside program or person to run a fun science/STEAM night for our students in grades 1 through 5. The past couple of years, Dr. Bob, a professor at Wheaton College and a local resident, has run these science nights. He loves to teach children about science activities! Some volunteers are needed the night of the event to check students in at the door, pass out materials, clean up, and make sure the night runs smoothly.

• In-House Field Trips – Some of MESA’s fundraising goes toward in-house field trips. These include classroom visits from New England Aquarium, Plimoth Plantation, Wingmasters, Discovery Museums, and Museum of Science Traveling Programs.